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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · pound · stock · roll · snap · ground · band · calf

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — a position
  11. roll — a cake
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — goods
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. roll — a list
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a ring
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com